As you can see, Max is a very playful
bobcat and doesn't stay still for long.
He's also the youngest resident of Big
Cat Rescue and only arrived at the
sanctuary in May of 2011. We first heard
about Max in a situation in November
2010. His owner had purchased him from a
backyard breeder and had taken the eight-
week-old kitten into a veterinary clinic
in Rhode Island to receive rabies shots
and other routine care.
The veterinarian reported Max's owner
because Rhode Island law prohibits the
possession of native wildlife such as
bobcats,
which then started a lengthy legal
battle between Max's owner and the Rhode
Island Division of Fish and Wildlife.
In the meantime, temporary custody was
awarded to the state and Max was placed
in quarantine
at the vet's home, where he had a small
outdoor pen and access to a bedroom
through the window. During the
proceedings, the Rhode Island Division of
Fish and Wildlife found Big Cat Rescue
online and contacted us to see if we
could provide Max a home if they were to
win custody of the bobcat. Thankfully, six
months later they did win custody of Max.
Preparations had begun for his arrival
at the sanctuary. We prepped a quarantine
cage for him with platforms and other
fun stuff to explore and keep him
occupied.
The toughest part was finding an airline
that could help us transport Max from
Rhode Island to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa,
Florida.
We called numerous airlines that,
unfortunately, couldn't help us out.
Obviously, they had a lot of restrictions
and guidelines to follow when it comes
to transporting a bobcat in the cabin
section of the plane with other
passengers. But when we called Southwest
Airlines, they checked with their
superiors and decided to donate three
seats on a flight to Tampa so I could
fly back in the cabin section with Max
and be able to check on him throughout
the flight. Security in Rhode Island was
another headache for us. It took around
two hours to get the green light. Airport
security wanted to remove Max from the
carrier, which obviously would have been
a bad idea,
because he may look cute and cuddly, but
that doesn't change the fact that he's a
wild animal just like all of the other
bobcats at Big Cat Rescue. So myself and
Max were locked in a secure room with a
viewing window where officers watched me
remove the bedding and toys from the
carrier, then they could inspect the
carrier to make sure that there was
nothing inside that could be a threat to
security. The actual flight was great. The
staff and other passengers were all
happy to have Max on board and he was an
awesome traveler.
Personnel helped us get Max to the
arrivals area where we were greeted by
the media, who had come to see Big Cat
Rescue's new addition. Then they helped us
get back to the BCR van. We got back to
the sanctuary at around 8:30 p.m. after
a 14-hour day. We released Max into the
quarantine enclosure by flashlight. Of
course ,he was off exploring straight
away and the next day he was running
around being goofy and getting used to
the new climate, but didn't spend much
time relaxing at all. We soon realized
that the more stimulation we could
provide to Max in captivity, the better.
So after his quarantine time was up we
relocated him to an enclosure in the
center of the sanctuary on the tour path
next to the beach and lake area and
complete with two pools. We added more
platforms for him to explore and even a
cat version of a hamster wheel which was
donated to us in hopes that he could
burn some energy off on it, but nobody's
seen him use it yet, although knowing Max,
he could be doing his cardio at midnight
when he has less distractions. We took
the opportunity to weigh him during the
move and he weighed 22 pounds ,but now
he's definitely over 30 pounds and still
growing; he's going to be a very big boy.
It's safe to say that he's become a
favorite for many volunteers and tour
guests. He's always full of energy. The
first day in his enclosure he discovered
what it's like to swim and he's often
seen in his pool.
He loves to watch the nearby ducks,
charge the camera guy, attack sticks and
just have a good time exploring every
inch of this enclosure. As always, it's a
shame that the actions of backyard
breeders who sell wild animals as
so-called pets condemned them to a life
of captivity or much worse.
Fortunately for Max, he has a permanent
home at Big Cat Rescue where we know
he'll be happy and healthy. Of course,
we'd like to thank our supporters who
make all of our work possible. If you'd
like to donate to help support our
mission and the over 100 residents who
call Big Cat Rescue home, please visit
our donations page to learn more about
Big Cat Rescue, and keep up to date with
what's happening at the sanctuary, please
visit our website: bigcatrescue.org
Thank you for your support. EDITED-ELP-DB-MGN-DQ